Reading Food Ads Promotes Unhealthy Diet

Reading food ads that promote unhealthy diets are now found to affect the way people eat. The new study, from Newcastle University researchers, analyzed the type of food ads found in UK magazines, finding that foods promoted were laden with sugar and salt in direct opposition to the health message delivered in the articles.

Lead study author, Dr Jean Adams, lecturer in public health at Newcastle University says, "Nearly every magazine contains advice on a healthier lifestyle, yet we found the food adverts were for products high in sugar and salt and low in fibre such as ready meals, sauces and confectionary", adding "Obviously, it's up to each of us to decide what we eat but if we're constantly bombarded with images of unhealthy food every time we pick up a magazine then we're going to be swayed in what we choose."

The result may lead to temptations to eat a less healthy diet after perusing food advertisements in the magazines.

The study authors discovered that the foods advertised were higher in sugar and salt, and lower in fibre than recommended guidelines from the World Health Organization (WHO).

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The study, published in the European Journal of Public Health, showed that 25.5% of the meals were pre-prepared and included sauces high in sugar and salt. Approximately one-fourth of the ads included foods such as ice cream, full sugar soft drinks and chocolate bars. Only 1.8% of the magazine ads promoted fruits and vegetables.

Interestingly, the worst culprits were magazines read primarily by women and people with lower socioeconomic status, while "high-end" magazines were the only publications that advertised fruits and vegetables in their food ads.

Dr. Adams says, "Health bodies and the government are trying to encourage all of us to eat a healthier diet, yet we found that many of the magazines, especially those targeting lower-income families are full of adverts promoting food that is largely unhealthy."

The authors concluded that magazine ads might be harming, rather than helping us stay healthy and on track, especially given the current social climate. "Families are facing so many social pressures that it's a constant battle to stay on the right track when choosing and preparing meals and these adverts are doing little to help."

All diet plans work for the short term. The weight loss achieved in a few weeks is proportional to the calorie restriction imposed. That's the good news. The bad news, which is recalled in Michel Desmurget's book, "The Antiregime," is that "out of 100 individuals who followed a restrictive diet, 95 regain all the weight lost in less than two to five years." Michel Desmurget is a doctor of neuroscience and someone who formerly suffered from obesity.

According to a recent US study, published in the journal Diabetes Therapy, the ketogenic diet, which favors glucose-based fat, could reverse Type 2 Diabetes if it is accompanied by daily monitoring. Type 2 diabetes occurs in adults and affects mostly obese or overweight people.

According to a news release from Penn State, when it comes to portion control a new study shows that choosing healthier foods for your plate is more effective than choosing to limit your eating to smaller portions.